OYO The Evesham Hotel
The OYO branded Evesham Hotel in central Evesham, Worcestershire, was used by Serco from January 2022 under a Home Office contract to accommodate asylum seekers, with arrivals from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The hotel closed as asylum accommodation by 31 May 2024 as part of a five site Serco wind-down announced alongside the Britannia Metropole in Blackpool[1]Press[3]Press.
Capacity
60
rooms (approx.)
Per night
£170
per resident
Annual
£3.7m
estimated
Background
The Evesham Hotel sits in the town of Evesham in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. The OYO branded property became one of Serco's West Midlands regional contingency hotels under the Home Office accommodation contract from January 2022. Residents came from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, with both individuals and families housed at the site[2]Press.
Worcester Observer secrecy criticism
The Worcester Observer reported in early 2022 that the move to use the Evesham Hotel for asylum-seeker accommodation was under fire over secrecy, with limited prior consultation and a perceived lack of transparency from the Home Office. The criticism set the tone for local debate over the contingency contract throughout its two and a half year run[1]Press.
Local welcome groups
Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees, a local group affiliated with the City of Sanctuary network, supported residents at the Evesham Hotel from 2022 onwards with English classes, donations and casework. The group's public records confirm that the hotel was a Serco run site under the Home Office contract and that residents received less than £9 per week in living expenses while housed there[2]Press.
May 2024 closure under five site Serco wind-down
Blackpool Lead reported in early 2024 that the Britannia Metropole in Blackpool was one of five Serco sites scheduled to close as Home Office asylum-seeker accommodation in the months ahead, alongside the OYO Evesham Hotel. The Evesham contract was confirmed to end by 31 May 2024[3]Press.
Cost analysis
At the £170 per person per night Migration Observatory benchmark[4]and a working occupancy of around 60 residents, accommodation contract value runs at roughly £10,200 per night and about £3.7 million per year. That sits below the May 2025 NAO contract review average of £5.84 million per year per hotel, in line with this site's smaller bedroom count[5]NAO.
Per-person per-day cost stack (benchmark)
£170- Hotel rate (room + three meals)£10059%
- Weekly cash allowance£74%
- Legal aid & casework£127%
- NHS / interpreter / utilities£1911%
- Contractor / security overhead£3219%
Cost in context
OYO Evesham Hotel
£170
benchmark
UK asylum hotel avg
£170
NAO
Evesham budget hotel
£55
commercial
Hostel bed
£30
commercial
Timeline
Timeline
Pre-2022
Operates as a commercial OYO branded town centre hotel in Evesham
Jan 2022
Serco starts asylum-seeker accommodation contract
Worcester Observer reports the move with criticism over secrecy and limited consultation; arrivals come from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
2022 to 2024
Local welcome groups support residents
Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees provides English classes, casework and donations to residents at the hotel.
May 2024
Hotel closes as Serco asylum site
Blackpool Lead lists the OYO Evesham Hotel as one of five Serco sites closing in 2024; final residents leave by 31 May.
Sources
- Hotel housing asylum seekers move under fire over secrecy — The Worcester Observer, Jan 2022
The Worcester Observer reports the OYO Evesham Hotel was used by Serco under a Home Office contract for asylum-seeker accommodation from January 2022, with the move criticised locally for limited consultation.
- About: Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees — Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees / City of Sanctuary, 2024
Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees confirms the Evesham Hotel has been a place of refuge for asylum seekers since January 2022 under Serco management on behalf of the Home Office.
- Metropole Hotel one of five Serco sites which will close in coming months — Blackpool Lead, 2024
Blackpool Lead reports the OYO Evesham Hotel is among five Serco asylum-seeker sites scheduled to close in 2024 under the Home Office hotel-exit programme.
- Asylum accommodation in the UK — Migration Observatory, University of Oxford, Aug 2025
£170 per person per day in hotels (2024/25 average); used for per-hotel estimates and food/utilities breakdowns.
- The Home Office's asylum accommodation contracts — National Audit Office, May 2025
222 hotels in use; £1.296 billion annual (2024/25); per-hotel approximately £5.84 million.